The EPA has announced a proposal to allow 2,4-D to be sprayed on genetically-engineered corn and soy crops. Please read below and take action.

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If you are under the illusion that our government will take the necessary steps to protect the health of its citizens, think again.

Not only did a Harvard professor recently publish a report saying that the FDA suffers from “institutional corruption” and that “meeting the needs of the drug companies has taken priority over meeting the needs of patients”, but now we have more tangible proof of government agencies putting corporate profits ahead of the well-being of the American people. Read More »

In case you didn’t read it, I started off my Organic Link Love column the other day with a quote from Debbie Stabenow, the Democratic Senator from Michigan and chair of the Agriculture Committee.

During the recent vote for GMO-labeling in the Senate Farm Bill, The Huffington Postquoted her as saying that “labels run counter to science and the public interest in healthy food.”

This is one of the most ridiculous statements that I have ever heard. And it is completely insulting to the intelligence of any American citizen.

In the United States, we have a fundamental right to know what is in our food. Yet, these rights don’t seem to matter to a majority of the politicians in Washington, D.C., such as Senator Stabenow, who are fighting against the labeling of GMOs.

The real question is: why are so many men and women in Congress doing everything they can to kill GMO-labeling efforts?

Due to our tremendous protests and outcry, Dow Chemical’s genetically-modified crop that is resistant to 2,4-D has been put on hold until at least 2014. Given that President Obama and the USDA have been giving rubber-stamp approval to every single GMO-crop that crosses their desks, this is a small victory.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this GMO-corn, it is a type of genetically-modified corn that has been developed to be resistant against an herbicide called 2,4-D. The idea is that you can spray 2,4-D (a toxic chemical) on the plant but it won’t damage the crop. It will kill the weeds around it, however.

What makes 2,4-D so fearsome is that it was the primary ingredient in Agent Orange. And as you may remember, Agent Orange was the code name for one of the chemicals used in Vietnam as part of a broad herbicidal warfare program.

Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children were born with birth defects as a result of this lethal strategy. Read More »

For several years, the FDA has been considering whether to approve genetically-engineered salmon and it just released (right before a major holiday) an Environmental Assessment as to whether it is safe or not.

(If you are not familiar with this whole genetically-engineered salmon issue, please see the video at the bottom of this post which gives a great explanation.)

Continuing the Obama administration’s pandering to the biotech industry, the Environmental Assessment (EA) said GE-salmon is safe and poses no real risks, and this report paves the way for approval in 2013.

Needless to say, this is horrible news.

The public backlash against this “FrankenFish” has been very clear, yet it has fallen on completely deaf ears.

– Over 400,000 comments were submitted demanding that this GE-salmon be rejected.

There is a battle brewing in California that every American needs to know about.

Even if you don’t live in that state, it doesn’t matter at all. It still impacts every single one of us.

The voting that will take place on the California ballot in November is called Proposition 37. This measure, which will be voted on by the state’s citizens, would require that foods containing genetically-modified ingredients be labeled as such.

And if approved, the implications will be enormous. Other states will be more willing to pass a similar measure and will be less afraid of potential lawsuits from Monsanto et al.

Right now, President Obama and the USDA do not believe that citizens have the right to know if they are eating genetically-modified foods (GMOs) or not. Why? Read More »